The cowbells, lycra, and the spine of the Northern Rockies as the serrated backdrop would have been part of the World Cup scene in Canmore, Alberta this past March. We all know the story: the global pandemic became a whip crack. The racing was canceled. Now, imagining the scene in Canmore, it’s easy to become wistful. Beyond the racing, visitors to Canmore missed an opportunity to experience six temporary art installations near the World Cup,...
Below is the press release from Nordiq Canada regarding the cancellation of the 2020 Canadian Ski Championships from March 25-April 2. CANMORE, Alta.—In support of Canadian efforts to minimize the transmission of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), Nordiq Canada in consultation with the local organizing committee at the Sovereign Lake Nordic Ski Club, have chosen to cancel the 2020 Canadian Ski Championships, scheduled for March 25 to April 2. The safety and health of athletes, coaches, volunteers and...
With the holidays heralding a rest period for many, Canmore is old news, but we haven’t forgotten about several of the athletes we interviewed there. Here are some of the highlights, and be sure to check out our video montage with several Canadian nation's group skiers.
Kikkan Randall climbed from outside the top 20 to finish eighth in Sunday's 15 k skiathlon, the last race of the Alberta World Cup. Ida Sargent claimed 14th for her best result in a distance race, and Emily Nishikawa led the Canadian women.
Performances from the final World Cups of 2012 provided plenty of fodder for speculation over the holiday break. With a lot going on this weekend, here's our recap of racing from around the world.
Jesse Cockney of the Alberta World Cup Academy pulled off the greatest race of his career, finishing second in Saturday's skate sprint qualifier then finishing ninth overall at the World Cup in Canmore. Lenny Valjas notched seventh for his best result of the season, and Phil Widmer made the heats for 15th overall.
Jesse Cockney didn't forget what it felt like to finish dead last on Thursday and pulled out the second-fastest qualifying time on Saturday in the 1.3 k skate sprint at the Alberta World Cup in Canmore.
Racers will will be welcomed by a new World Cup course when they take to the tracks in Saturday's freestyle sprint. Shorter than 2010, but longer and harder than 2008, the loop presents tactical challenges and some big climbs out of the start.
Twenty-nine Canadians put themselves to the test Thursday in the first of three races at the Alberta World Cup. FasterSkier spoke with several nation's group skiers to see how the 10- and 15-kilometer classic mass starts went. For some, they it was their first World Cup.
Alex Harvey (CAN) and Kris Freeman (USA) recorded their best results of the season Thursday at the Alberta World Cup opener, a 15 k classic mass start, to build some confidence and lead their respective teams in Canmore.
In the men’s classic sprint in Canmore on Saturday, there were all kinds of tactics in play. In the women’s version, there was just one: go like hell, and leave everyone else in the dust. That was Justyna Kowalczyk’s M.O. today. Using the massive engine she’s developed by racing every event in her path, the Polish dynamo crushed her competition in every single heat she skied on Saturday. In the final, she had more than...
For the last few weeks, Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland has been training five to six hours a day. Seriously. We asked her four times, just to be sure. Granted, she said that only three to four of those hours were skiing—the rest were in the gym. But it’s still a lot of volume in advance of a World Cup. Kowalczyk’s approach to her training underscores athletes’ varying strategies during this final period leading up to...
Canmore, Alberta – Italian Pietro Piller Cottrer wouldn’t mind moving his family to Canmore. “I just need to teach them English and we can come,” he said following his 2nd place finish in today’s 15km individual start freestyle. According to Piller Cottrer, Canmore is very similar to his home in the Italian Dolomites. “I have always raced very well here, and have now finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th in Canmore.” Piller Cottrer joined teammate...
For the first time in five years, a true world-class field will toe the line tomorrow for a race in North America. While there’s no Northug in town, a solid international field is in Canmore for this weekend’s distance skate and classic sprint World Cup races. Cologna, Teichmann, Legkov, Kowalczyk, Majdic—the gang’s all here. Not to mention full rosters of Americans and Canadians jazzed to throw down in front of their home crowds. But while...